@RichLevy00: Since everyone is so tease obsessed…What do you really consider a tease?? One that’s worthy of a footnote…

In my opinion, a tease must include clear intent on behalf of a band member and be 100% non-debatable (e.g. Page’s “Green-Eyed Lady” in Dick’s ’11 “Tweezer” or Trey’s “Norweigan Wood” in Worcester ‘12 “Taste”). If there is any question as to whether something was a tease or not, I don’t feel it should be noted on an official setlist. There have been teases noted where I can understand what the person heard but I don’t think it’s a tease at all (e.g. alleged “Live and Let Die” in Pelham ‘12 “Rock and Roll”) and then there are teases that make no sense whatsoever to me. I’m not sure why Phish fans are so tease-crazy, I’ve always thought it to be odd phenomenon. To recap—clear intent and no subjectivity.

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@TimberCarini: What are your favorite five “one-time covers” you have seen live and why were they special?

In no particular order:

“Running With the Devil” 8.6.98, Atlanta: As a huge Van Halen fan from early on in my life, this encore from Lakewood ’98 shocked me in the best way. To hear Trey play Eddie’s licks, even if they weren’t so clean, was a sublime experience that united my childhood and young adult life.

“Thunder Road” 6.19.11 Portsmouth: When the band started the intro to “Thunder Road” to honor the passing of Clarence Clemmons, I could hardly believe my ears. Once again the band had inserted one of my absolute favorite songs into their live show. Even though it was pretty much off the cuff, the power of hearing Phish cover meaningful songs from your life is undeniable.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” 12.31.96 III, Boston: For a tripped out tale about this experience, click here.

“So Lonely” 11.14.98 E, Cincinnati: My first two favorite bands in life were Duran Duran and The Police, thus when the band pulled this song out of nowhere as the encore at The Crown and bled into “Tweezer Reprise,” I was totally floored.

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@mcary23: …five songs or even segments of songs that you consider lyrically to be Tom and Trey’s best work…

@bryantweathers: What do you expect from #Phish in 2013 in terms of tour dates?

A lot of people have asked this very question, so based on nothing at all, here is my prediction for 2013: a two-legged summer tour featuring Festival X, a Halloween run, a Thanksgiving/30th Anniversary Run and New Year’s Run. As the band members now have families, I think full-blown fall tours are a thing of the past.

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@diller24: Where does Madison Square Garden rank among top Phish venues?

If considering both the show experience and musical output MSG is right up against the Gorge for top venue of all time. I’ve always thought of it as the top indoor venue to see Phish. While Hampton has a better show experience and better sound, it doesn’t have the history of MSG. Phish hasn’t performed close to as many memorable shows and jams in The Mothership as the New York’s midtown Mecca. This upcoming holiday run will make 27 total shows at MSG—almost a month of Phish in one venue! And if I were to list the all-time jams that have gone down in The Garden, it would be a post of its own. I did a whole series of MSG memoirs a couple years ago before MSG 2010, and I plan to repost them in anticipation of this New Year’s Run. While some of the 3.0 shows at MSG haven’t quite been up to snuff, there is little question that the venue has hosted more top-shelf Phish shows than any in the land.

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@stillwading: If you were to have the band over for breakfast, which cereal would you have in stock for each member and why?

Trey: Cap’n Crunch—because he leads the ship.

Mike: Cinnamon Life—because Mikey likes it.

Page: Smorz—because they are as close to a sandwich as you can get in breakfast cereal.

Fish: Fruit Loops—to match his dress and demeanor.

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@HeyCrutch: If you could change one thing about Phishtory, what would you change?

The band would have played Halloween shows in ’97 and ’99. (I guess that’s two.)

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